In January, Brad shared a teaching on the vision and direction of Soma for 2018 and the next ten years. He shared on behalf of the elders and we would love to remind you of this vision as we head into the final months of this year. You can listen here. Essentially, we’re praying for and hoping for revival. What follows is a summary of Brad’s talk.
”The true signs of revival in an individual, city or church is when people are changed at the heart level.” Jonathan Edwards
It is our deep hope, conviction, and joy to labor for your sake in prayer that every single person in this church would experience a heart change this year! Birthed by the Spirit of God in you! Honestly, this is what I see God doing in our midst. Let’s not get distracted. God is changing our hearts and making us more like him. Replacing selfishness with patience. Ego with love. Anxiety with Peace. Lust with Freedom. Loneliness with God’s presence.
Who wants to know the surpassing greatness of Gods love this year? Who wants to know the fullness of God within them? Who wants to live in the power that rose Jesus from the dead? To see doubt moved to confidence?
Revival is always a transformation of hearts
This year, we’ve been hoping and praying for the following things to happen within our hearts. Here are the five things the elders put forth in January and have continued to organize the church around.
Grow in Prayer for those in our missional community, city, and families. We want to challenge each person to be pray once a week for their missional community and the people of our city.
That we would pray as Paul has prayed in this passage. Pray the gospel impact for others. Print Ephesians 3:14-21 off and put it on your fridge or journal. That we would internalize this and pray it for others.
Grow in our Affection for Jesus. That each person would prioritize and deepen their life with God.
That this would produce Joy.
As women and men following Jesus, we would grow in our devotion to Christ and know his joy amidst suffering and celebration. That each difficult and exciting thing we are called into would be from a profound place of Joy in God’s finished work. This was our primary focus at our leader’s retreat in February. This is also why we studied and digested Hebrews, our of study Proverbs on wisdom and making space in life for prayer, solitude, rest, Scripture, etc. This is also why we studied worship in the Psalms and are diving into Ephesians this fall.
Grow in Our Ability to Proclaim Jesus. That each person in our church would be empowered and equipped to share the gospel this year. This has become a key point in our training, coaching, and conversations we’ve tried to spark within the body throughout the year.
Grow in Our Love for People Different Than Us. That each MC would pursue mission and relationships with people who are different from them this year. We want to continue growing into a diverse church that seeks to be agents of reconciliation in our city and care for the poor.
Overarching Picture for next 10 Years
We see and hear Jesus calling us to become a church planting hub in Los Angles. Over the next 10 years, we see our church multiplying into a family of Churches in Los Angeles.
A family of churches is a group of congregations that operate as a cooperative church, sharing resources, planting new churches, providing shepherding, care, and mission united in the city. Each congregation interdependent on the others.
This will require all of us to become people of prayer on behalf of this city. It will require some of us to become missional community leaders, some of us to join MCs, and some of us to be equipped to be team members of leadership teams of these new churches.
Becoming a Church Planting Hub
Coaching and training of new leaders, communities, and churches.
Sending People to start New Missional Communities that start New Gatherings that become New Churches.
Sharing Resources, Leadership, and Systems.
Financially Investing in people as they start churches here and around the world. We currently give to Citizens in San Francisco, Missio Dei in Mesa, Epiphany in Compton. Not just financial but relational presence and equipping.
Who We Are
We are a family of missionary servants, proclaiming Jesus in the westside of Los Angeles through word and deed. We exist to see Los Angeles saturated with the gospel so that every man, woman, and child has a daily encounter with Jesus.
We see the people of Los Angeles reconciled to God through Jesus.
We see our neighborhoods and city without need: the renewal of Los Angeles culturally, socially, and spiritually through Jesus.